Method for manufacturing an optical-fiber buffer tube

摘要

A method for manufacturing an optical-fiber buffer tube uses a prewetting agent possessing excellent surface affinity, wetting, and interfacial adhesion with optical-fiber coatings. The prewetting agent does not pool within or leak from the resulting buffer tubes during storage or vertical installation.

主权项

1. An optical-fiber buffer tube, comprising:
an optical fiber comprising (i) a glass fiber and (ii) one or more optical-fiber coating layers surrounding said glass fiber, said one or more optical-fiber coating layers defining an outermost optical-fiber coating layer, wherein said optical fiber's outermost optical-fiber coating layer is a urethane-acrylate composition; a chemically modified polydimethylsiloxane prewetting agent applied to said optical fiber's outermost optical-fiber coating layer, wherein, at standard temperature and pressure of 20° C. and 1 atmosphere, said prewetting agent has an interfacial adhesion with said optical fiber's outermost optical-fiber coating layer of at least about 2.4 dynes/cm2; and a polymeric sheath enclosing (i) said optical fiber and (ii) said prewetting agent applied to said optical fiber's outermost optical-fiber coating layer.